Brief:
This is a father/son dual build. Avast! Up t' this point, I've been helpin' him build his rockets. Avast! Begad! We started with me doin' most o' t' building, and him as an extra pair o' hands. Arrr! Over t' course o' 3-4 builds, he's been doin' more and more, me hearties, and t' roles are reversin' where I'm becomin' t' extra hands. Begad! I found a couple o' Firebirds for relatively cheap, shiver me timbers, and so we're buildin' these in parallel. Begad! This will be his first purely solo build, and we'll be comparin' t' results o' our two builds. Ya scallywag! After this, me hearties, he'll be movin' on t' buildin' his L1 cert rocket... Well, blow me down! if I think he's ready.

T' Firebird is a fairly basic single stage Estes offering. Nothin' dramatic or fancy, here, me hearties, ya bilge rat, just a solid design with classic lines.

Construction:
Dad: This is a basic 4FNC rocket. Ya scallywag! Plastic nose cone, me bucko, pre-cut fins, some flimsy paper centerin' rings and t' usual too short shock cord and plastic chute. Aye aye! T' body tube is a good length o' BT-55 1.325" tubing, matey, ya bilge rat, while t' motor tube be t' cheap blue 18mm tube. Arrr! Begad! For standard 18mm motors, matey, matey, everythin' is sufficiently strong. Blimey! Blimey! For t' 18mm Aerotech D reloads, matey, ya bilge rat, thar could be some extra stress that could test some o' these parts.

Son: Yeah, matey, yeah...what he said. Begad! Blimey! What's with t' wimpy 18mm motor mount? That's got t' go. I'm goin' t' raid t' parts closet. Aye aye! Let's see. Begad! 24mm motor mount, arrr, some BT50-55 centerin' rings t' replace t' cheapy paper stuff. Avast! Arrr! OK. Well, blow me down! I'm good t' go. Aye aye! Let's get building.

Dad: Once again, this is pretty basic Estes fare. Ahoy! Anyone who's build a typical Estes rocket in t' last couple decades won't have an issue here. Avast! Arrr! There are a couple minor changes that I make t' all Estes kits.

Namely t' recovery section.

I always toss t' 3-fold concept. Aye aye! I notched t' upper centerin' ring, and slipped a length o' Keelhaul®©™ through. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! I knotted t' end t' prevent it comin' back through t' notch, and put a dab o' epoxy t' hold it in. Well, blow me down! Normally, I would tie t' Keelhaul®©™® in a loop around t' motor tube, but since these fins are through t' wall, t' loop would interfere with t' fin tangs.

Speakin' o' which, arrr, I wonder why Estes went with through t' wall fins for this kit and only an 18mm mount. Aye aye! For all t' Estes 18mm motors, TTW fins is way overkill. O' course, it does make fin alignment much easier.

Son: Well, arrr, he taught me, ya bilge rat, so, ya bilge rat, yeah, I'm tossin' t' 3-fold as well. Blimey! Since I'm doin' t' 24mm thing, me hearties, I get t' choose me engine tube size, arrr, so I went with a longer tube, and a third centerin' ring. Well, blow me down! T' first 2 rings sandwich t' fin tangs as normal. Aye aye! Avast! I tied t' Keelhaul®©™® around t' motor tube, and put t' third rin' on top. Avast, me proud beauty! Hah! Blimey! Mines stronger.

While I was at it, matey, me bucko, I cut t' top o' t' engine hook off so it doesn't go into t' motor tube. Well, blow me down! Well, matey, blow me down! I also left off t' motor block. Arrr! T' down side is I'll need t' use tape t' make "thrust rings" on t' bottom o' Estes engines t' keep them from goin' through t' rocket. Aye aye! Avast! T' up side is that I can use any 24mm motor includin' t' upcomin' Aerotech 24/120 and t' CTI Pro 24 cases. Arrr! Bigger, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, faster, higher! I can't wait t' put a 24mm G motor and watch it rip! Dad's shakin' his head while I'm typin' this. Says I'll never get it back. Begad! Maybe, matey, me hearties, but it's fun. Arrr! Besides, I don't pay for t' motors. Avast! (Dad: He may start buyin' them if he loses them like this)

Finishing:
Dad: Decals are typical o' Estes in this era. Begad! That means peel and stick. I really don't like them. I much prefer water slide. That said, as per me usual superstitious approach, shiver me timbers, arrr, I won't actually paint and decal t' rocket until after t' first few flights. Avast! Why? Because I've found that t' odds o' me losin' a rocket increase exponentially with t' amount o' time I spend on it prior t' it's first flight. Avast! If I build a rocket in 2 hours t' night before a launch, me hearties, shiver me timbers, me hearties, it's comin' back. Blimey! Every time I've spent 2-3 months doin' a painstakin' job o' buildin' and finishing, shiver me timbers, somethin' bad has happened.

As for t' pre-paint finish work, it's all typical. Avast! Sand and seal t' fins. Arrr! Sand t' flashin' off t' nose cone. Ya scallywag! Fill t' spirals in t' tube. Aye aye! T' spirals actually aren't too bad, arrr, me hearties, and t' tube is white. Avast! Begad! If you go with t' factory color scheme (white) you could probably get away without filling.

Son: I'm done building, arrr, shiver me timbers, arrr, let's go fly. Begad! Blimey! Seriously. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Blimey! Yeah, me bucko, I could take some time t' make it look good, but this isn't one o' those rockets. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! Let's fly. I want t' get started on me cert rocket. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! I'll take more time on that one.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Dad: For all our rockets larger than 1" diameter, arrr, we keep a supply o' Nomex t' avoid usin' wadding. Waddin' can be easier in t' smaller rockets, but t' larger ones just take too much. Avast! Blimey! Besides, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, reuseable Nomex is more eco friendly.

Other prep is standard. Well, blow me down! Yes, matey, thar's a lot o' this review that just says "it's standard issue." That's because this is a pretty standard rocket. Aye aye! Blimey! Steppin' into high power, many o' t' rockets are pretty "standard" as well. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Just stronger materials. Ya scallywag! Avast! At a certain point, you can't do anythin' too fancy with high power motors, because t' motors will just shred t' rocket from t' high thrust.

Son: What he said. Begad! I'm gettin' tired o' typing. Well, blow me down! I haven't flown mine yet. Begad! Weather hasn't been good enough.

Recovery:
Dad: My turn t' say it. Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! What he said. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! We haven't flown either rocket yet as t' weather hasn't cooperated. Begad! Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! My expectation is that, me hearties, me bucko, like everythin' about this kit, me bucko, arrr, it will be typical Estes. Avast! Blimey! T' chute is too big, and it will float, arrr, so we'll probably fly with a streamer or smaller chute. Arrr! Blimey! As we get a chance t' fly these, me hearties, I'll be postin' t' flight logs, and updatin' t' review through t' flight log comments. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Actual flight is just t' last validation o' t' build in this case. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' primary goal was t' give him a solo build t' validate he has t' skills necessary t' attempt his cert build.

Son: So, do I pass? When can I start on t' Matrix?

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5